Hey Ted,
Awesome job on an awesome fish! I have caught a 30 lb+ cobia from a boat, but not from my yak. It's a good thing you couldn't get it boated early in the battle, because a green cobia is a fearsome thing to behold, and have been known to pretty much destroy the cockpit of some small center consoles. Thanx for posting.
Best,
Dick

Yea, the guy filming, Rick, was like the devil on my shoulder the whole time. "That fish is going to go nuts. Be ready for the worst. You're gonna die!" That sort of encouragement comes from him a lot. ;0)

Later that day a Humpback whale swam by and breached right next to us. Rick caught that on film too.

Yes I fish the AI and troll a lot. A group of 5 of us that fish together regualrly drag baits all over the Gulf from 1 to 5 miles out and covering several miles East/West as well. I am the only AI so sailing out ahead of the pack is not something I do very often.

If I am with only one other yakker then I tow him out while trolling to a spot then we separate and troll separately.

I drag Stretch 25 and Stretch 11 lures on occasion but I have better success offshore with live and dead baits. Lures are a nice way to mix it up if the bite is off. Inshore Reds love the Stretch lures.

Dragging deep divers creates a lot of drag and strain on the rod holders. Keep an eye on your rigs and lash them down or risk losing them.

When you say heading out the pass are you talking Destin or what. The Destin pass is very dangerous for yakkers. Wild current, narrow pass with big boats and huge colliding waves. I suggest launching from the beaches instead.

Yeah, I was talking about the Destin pass. I haven't gone through it under sail yet, but I did make the mistake of pedaling through it and around the west jetty once in kayak mode with no ama's.

It was a white knuckle experience to say the least.........

How well does towing with your AI work? Do you think it causes an excesive strain on the boat?

(I've got two fishing buddies, one with an Outback and one with an Ocean Kayak. I've been wanting to experiment with towing one of them behind my AI because they just can't cover the distance that I can while sailing.)